Cal Fire officials increasing staff in Santa Cruz County, state

SANTA CRUZ -- With January shaping up to be the driest in recorded history, Cal Fire officials are beefing up their staff to be at the ready.

"We're staffing because of the lack of precipitation," said Ian Larkin, Cal Fire Deputy Chief for San Mateo-Santa Cruz counties. "We're seeing fuel moisture levels that we would normally see in August during fire season."

For Santa Cruz County, Larkin said 12 additional firefighters will be added as well as another fire engine. Those are in addition to the 18 firefighters normally on duty for the winter season. The supplemental firefighters are usually hired between April and June.

A total of 125 firefighters will be hired by Cal Fire in Northern California as a result of the dry conditions.

With no precipitation so far this month, conditions are likely to break a decades old record for the driest January on record for Santa Cruz County, said Will Pie, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Station in Monterey.

The current record is .32 inches of rain set in 1976, Pie said.

Though the forecast calls for a chance of rain beginning Wednesday night, it's unlikely to bring enough moisture to relieve drought conditions or prevent a record being reached, Pie said.

"We're not expecting a whole lot down in Santa Cruz," Pie said.

The rain will mostly fall north of Santa Cruz, Pie said. Precipitation levels are forecast between .10 to .25 inches and up to half an inch in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Pie said.

With little precipitation forecast, Cal Fire crews are likely to set to stay indefinitely, Larkin said.

"We probably wouldn't make any major decisions until we have 4 to 5 inches of rain," he said.

A 22-year veteran firefighter, Larkin said this is the driest he can remember.

Larkin reiterated that the Dec. 30 burn ban, which is unusual for January, is still in effect for the county. The ban suspends all open burning until further notice.

Cal Fire crews are also going door-to-door throughout the county to hand out pamphlets and talk to residents about fire prevention tips.

"When we engage these residents, we explain to them the concerns one might have if you're in Santa Cruz County," said Cal Fire Capt. Tim O'Donoghue, stationed in Davenport. This also includes inspecting properties for potential hazards in the event of a wildfire.

Between Jan. 1-18, Cal Fire crews throughout the state fought 406 wildfires that burned, 1,002 acres, Larkin said. There have been eight small wildfires reported in Santa Cruz County, Larkin said.

The statistic is troubling compared to zero reported in January 2013.

Larkin warned residents to keep a defensible space around their home during dry conditions. The space, which should be 100 feet, would help prevent a fire from quickly reaching homes.

The first 30 feet should be clear of most vegetation and the remaining 70 feet should be cleared of most ground litter, such as leaves and low-hanging branches, Larkin said.

"It helps mitigate vegetation from carrying long distances because there's less fuel on the ground," he said.

DEFENSE: Keep 100 feet of defensible space around a home.CLEAN: Keep 30 feet clear of vegetation. The remaining 70 feet should be clear of low-hanging branches and dead leaves.TIME: When clearing space, avoid doing it during the hottest part of the day or during high wind conditions.INFORMATION: Visit www.preventwildfireca.org for prevention tips or www.readyforwildfire.org for evacuation tips.